Research of the Circuit Design Department

The activities of the department Circuit Design are focused on the research program "Wireless Internet: Systems and Applications".

This research program investigates and develops high-end systems for wireless internet as prototypes and applications. Its objective is to find solutions for Hardware/ Software systems and highly integrated single chips. IHP’s vertical approach is also reflected in the architecture of the addressed systems. Basically we optimize inter-layer interaction and perform vertical migrations of semantic elements.

The three major directions of research are systems with high performance, systems with low-power consumption, and middleware systems for context sensitive applications.

The goal for high-performance wireless systems is to integrate all the functionalities of a wireless PDA into a single chip. The targets are to achieve a data rate of up to 1 Gbps at carrier frequencies of up to 60 GHz.

The research on systems with low energy consumption is directed towards sensor networks on single chips. Typical applications are body-area networks for health care or wellness.

Research in context-sensitive middleware systems addresses privacy and security questions in using mobile devices. Moreover we investigate symmetrical and asymmetrical resource distribution between client and server parts of the overall system.

Selected Projects of this Research Program